


Blue And Black And Finger-Stripes

by stopdrinkingitdown



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, enjoy my 2 am ramblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-06 17:37:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18393161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stopdrinkingitdown/pseuds/stopdrinkingitdown
Summary: Dick and Dami Week 2019Day One: Dynamic Duo





	Blue And Black And Finger-Stripes

Father was Batman. Grayson was Nightwing. Damian was no one.

 

~~~

 

Father was dead. Grayson was Batman. Damian was Robin.

 

~~~

 

Father was Batman. Grayson was Nightwing. Damian was Robin.

 

Except that father wasn’t Batman. Wasn’t _his_ Batman. _His_ Batman was off in another city wearing black and blue and finger-stripes. Father was wearing black and gray and a cape. And every time Damian met his father’s eyes he saw blue, and blue, and blue, and thought _wrong_.

 

 _Wrong_ , _wrong_ , _wrong_.

 

Every time Damian saw father he thought _wrong_.

 

And every time Damian saw Batman he thought _Grayson_.

 

~~~

 

They were both yelling.

 

Damian knew it was justified. He had broken the suspect’s arm in three places simply because he was lonely.

 

 ~~Lonely~~ angry.

 

Lonely was for children, and Damian was not a child.

 

~~If lonely was for children then why was Damian driving to Grayson’s house, and if Damian wasn’t a child why did he want to curl up with blankets and watch childish cartoons.~~

 

_(“I’m not a child! Quit treating me like one!” “You are a child! You are ten years old!)_

 

If it was Grayson, Damian would have accepted the rebuke and promised to do better, but it wasn’t Grayson.

 

It wasn’t Grayson and that was the whole reason the man’s arm was broken in the first place.

 

_(This isn’t the League! You can’t do whatever you want, we don’t torture people!” “I know this isn’t the League, if it was I wouldn’t have to be around you!)_

 

Left turn. Stop. Right turn. Right turn.

 

He was driving to Grayson’s house at three o’clock in the morning. All because of a lonely childish need to see _his_ Batman again.

 

His brother.

 

Somewhere after a string of near incomprehensible Arabic curses Damian had jumped in the Batmobile, ignoring his father’s and Pennyworth’s shouts for Damian to stop.

 

The car skidded to a halt.

 

Before Damian could lose courage he ran up the steps to Grayson’s apartment and threw open the door.

 

“Damian.” Grayson was sitting on the kitchen table eating cinnamon crunch cereal and looking at a case file. He looked between the case file, cereal, and Damian for a minute before a smile brightened his features. “Dames!”

 

Damian was struck with the realization of how idiotic this was. He was still in his suit, damp from the rain. His face was flushed from yelling; hair a windswept disaster.

 

Grayson was undeterred as he swept Damian up in a hug.

 

Perhaps it was Damian’s lack of a struggle that tipped him off as Grayson released him much earlier than he normally would have. “What’s wrong?”

 

Damian blinked and he was on the floor, his face wet, and Grayson whispering comforts. “Father is angry.” Damian whispered, once he could speak.

 

He allowed Grayson to lead him towards the couch. A concerned frown written across his face as he asked, “What’s wrong, talk to me Lil D.”

 

“I broke a man’s arm.” Damian refused to meet his brother’s eyes. He couldn’t bear to see the disappointment.

 

“Why, Damian?”

 

“I was angry.” He blinked furiously and tried to ignore his mother’s voice in his head. _Children cry and you are not a child. Don’t be weak._ “You’re my Batman. It’s wrong, it’s all wrong!”

 

He dared a look at Grayson’s face and saw only confusion. Against Damian’s will his voice broke. “We’re supposed to be the dynamic duo. Batman and Robin. And now father is angry and everything is wrong.”

 

“Damian,” Dick began slowly. The way onewould speak to a wounded animal. “Just because we’re not Batman and Robin anymore doesn’t mean we can’t be a dynamic duo. I’ll come by Gotham more and I’ll talk to Bruce. You’re my little brother and that’s never going to change.”

 

Grayson smiled cheekily. “Now I think it’s time for some old fashioned hot chocolate and Disney movies.”

 

“Tt. That would be... acceptable.” He added, much quieter, “Put marshmallows in mine.”

 

Grayson ruffled his hair as he stood. “Always, Lil D.”

 

~~~

 

Years later when father was retired and Cain wore the cowl, the dynamic duo would fly again.

 

Red and black.

 

Blue and finger-stripes.

 

Katanas and escrima sticks. 

 

Over the streets of Bludhaven, Nightwing and Flamebird watched.

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy the creative horror of two a.m. insomnia in the form of fanfic.


End file.
